[Official] CLG Releases Reignover

Counter Logic Gaming announced Monday afternoon via twitter that the organization would be cutting ties with Kim “Reignover” Yeu-jin. Reignover joining CLG was one of the bigger moves of the off-season last year. Despite a down year on Team Liquid, Reignover looked poised to regain his confidence in a new, healthier environment. Reignover also spent time with CLG as a Jungle coach during a bootcamp for the 2016 World Championship. On an episode of The Dive, NA LCS Analyst Joshua “Jatt” Leesman rated CLG as the top team coming into the 2018 NA LCS Spring Split.

Counter Logic Gaming’s 2018 was its worst season in NA LCS history. CLG missed both spring and summer playoffs and finished 7-11 in both splits; 8th and 7th place, respectively. Reignover was not able to consistently convert smart early games into cohesive advantages for the team, and the roster struggled with a lack of identity throughout the year.

Counter Logic Gaming’s release of Reignover is one of many moves it has made after a disappointing season. CLG removed Head Coach Tony “Zikz” Gray prior to Week 9 of the 2018 NA LCS Summer Split, leaving Assistant Coach Zach Goldman to take over in his stead. Mid Laner Choi “HuHi” Jae-hyun signed with 100Thieves, and CLG wasted no time signing Tristan “PowerOfEvil” Schrage from OpTic Gaming.

CLG has shown it is not afraid to change things up at all levels of the organization. CLG Academy Jungler Raymond “Wiggily” Griffin impressed in his Week 9 NA LCS debut in Reignover’s place. CLG may want to promote and build around him for the future. Of course, the release of Reignover also gives an import slot for CLG to fill if it sees fit.

CLG will rebuild, but Reignover may have a tougher time recovering. His personal struggles on Team Liquid were attributed to organizational dysfunction, but his stint on CLG saw him afflicted by the same problems as before. The cracks only further widened as the meta favored early game aggression throughout the year.

The pre-season changes have reward the prioritization of aggression over Reignover’s innovative, methodical style. He will have to re-invent himself to re-establish his value to teams as a Jungler.

A potential home for Reignover could be Clutch Gaming. Slotting into the Clutch Gaming Academy roster would give Reignover a less pressured environment to work on his game. In addition, he would provide great depth to the roster given his experience playing with Chae “Piglet” Gwang-jin and Heo “Huni” Seung-Hoon in the event of another down year for Nam “LirA” Tae-yoo.

With Huni, Reignover was a two-time EU LCS Champion and a 2015 Worlds Semifinalist with Fnatic. On Immortals, a 1st and 2nd place finish in the regular splits were complimented by 3rd place finishes in both the spring and summer playoffs. In the past two years, Reignover has failed to qualify for playoffs, only placing above 8th once.

In 72 regular season games with Huni as his Top Laner, Reignover possessed a regular season record of 64-8. Since signing to Team Liquid in 2017, Reignover’s 23-49 record has his stock lower than ever heading into the 2019 season.